Continuous cooking surface with individually controllable heating zones

ABSTRACT

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to a grill with a continuous cooking surface having individually controllable heating zones separated by one or more isolation zones. One example provides a grill, comprising a continuous cooking surface comprising a plurality of individually controllable heating zones separated by one or more isolation zones, each heating zone comprising a heating zone plate with one or more heating elements disposed beneath the heating zone plate, and each isolation zone comprising an isolation bar joined to adjacent conductive plates of adjacent heating zones, each isolation bar comprising a cooling channel extending at least partially along a length of the isolation bar.

BACKGROUND

A grill may include a continuous cooking surface heated by one or moreheating elements positioned beneath the cooking surface.

SUMMARY

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to a grill with a continuouscooking surface having individually controllable heating zones. Oneexample provides a grill comprising a continuous cooking surface havinga plurality of individually controllable heating zones separated by oneor more isolation zones. Each heating zone comprises a heating zoneplate with one or more heating elements disposed beneath the heatingzone plate, each isolation zone comprises an isolation bar joined toadjacent heating zone plates, and each isolation bar comprises a coolingchannel extending at least partially along a length of the isolationbar.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore,the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solveany or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top view of an example grill comprising a continuouscooking surface with individually controllable heating zones separatedby isolation zones.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the continuous cooking surface of thegrill of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the continuous cooking surface of the grillof FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom perspective view of the continuous cooking surfaceof the grill of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the continuous cooking surface of thegrill of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an example cooling system forcooling an isolation bar.

FIG. 7 shows an example edge configuration for a continuous cookingsurface.

FIG. 8 shows an example heater compression plate assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As mentioned above, a grill may include a continuous cooking surfacewith one or more heating elements positioned beneath the cooking surfaceto heat the cooking surface. In some situations, it may be desirable tocook foods at different temperatures on the same cooking surface. Forexample, a person may wish to reduce a sauce or soup in a pot or pan ata higher temperature, then simmer the sauce or soup at a lowertemperature. When using a grill with a single temperature control, theperson may first place the pot or pan closer to an outside edge of thegrill, and then move the pot or pan to the middle, as heating elementpositioning and heat transfer characteristics may cause the cookingsurface temperature to decrease toward the outside edge. As anotherexample, a person may wish to simultaneously cook meats and vegetableson the same grill at different temperatures, and thus the person maycook vegetables closer to the outside edge of the grill while cookingmeats closer to the middle. However, the temperature in the coolerregion may not be easily controllable or measurable in such anarrangement.

Some grills may include individually controllable heating elements fordifferent heating zones of the continuous cooking surface, which mayprovide more control over the temperatures of different regions of thecontinuous cooking surface. However, as the materials from which thecooking surfaces are made are good thermal conductors, it may bedifficult to maintain the temperatures of different heating zones atdesired levels, particularly with large temperature differentials, dueto the transfer of heat between regions.

Accordingly, examples are disclosed herein that relate to a cookingsystem having a continuous cooking surface comprising heating zones thatmay be more easily maintained at different temperatures. The individualheating zones of the continuous cooking surface are separated by one ormore isolation zones incorporated into the continuous cooking surface.Such isolation zones may include cooling features to facilitate air orfluid-assisted cooling, thereby helping to lessen the conduction of heatbetween adjacent heating zones. Further, as the cooking surface iscontinuous, food may be easily moved between cooking surface by slidingthe food from one heating zone to another.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a top view of an example cooking system 100having a continuous cooking surface 102 segmented into three heatingzones 102, 104, and 106 by isolation zones 108 and 110. Heating zones102, 104 and 106 have individually controllable heating elements, suchthat each heating zone can be set at a different temperature relative toadjacent heating zones, whether higher or lower. While heating zones andtwo isolation zones are shown, a cooking system may have any othersuitable number of heating zones and cooling zones. FIG. 1 alsoillustrates a flange 112 surrounding the cooking surface, e.g. to helpcontain food from spilling over an edge of the cooking surface 102.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the cooking surface 102. Theisolation zones 108 and 110 take the form of isolation bars joined toadjacent heating plates of adjacent heating zones, such that uppersurfaces of the isolation bars and heating plates form the continuouscooking surface.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the cooking surface 102. As depicted, theupper surfaces of isolation bars 110 and 112 are level with the uppersurfaces of heating zones 104, 106, and 108 to form a level, continuoussurface across which food and/or cookware can be easily moved. Theheating zones 104, 106 and 108 and the isolation bars 110, 112 may beformed from any suitable material(s). In some examples, the heatingzones 104, 106, and 108 comprise thermally conductive plates formed fromsteel. The thermally conductive plates may have any suitable thickness,including but not limited to thicknesses between 0.5 and 1 inch. Theisolation bars 110, 112 may be formed from a same material as theheating zone plates, or from a different material than adjacent heatingzone plates, such as a material having a lower thermal conductivity thanthe heating zone plates.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the cooking surface 102, and illustratesan example arrangement of heating elements 400 for each heating zone. Inthe depicted example, the cooking system comprises three heatingelements for each heating zone, for a total of nine heating elements 400a-i. The heating elements may utilize any suitable heating mechanism.For example, the depicted heating elements may comprise resistiveheating elements formed from an etched resistive foil located betweeninsulating layers. In other examples, any other suitable number, size,and arrangement of heating elements of any suitable shape/size/heatingmechanism may be used.

In the depicted example, each heating element 400 includes a hole 401 toaccommodate a temperature sensor (e.g. a thermocouple) for monitoringtemperature of the heating plate above the heating element. In otherexamples, any other suitable arrangement of temperature sensors may beused such as fewer temperature sensors than heating elements per heatingzone, or more than one temperature sensor per heating element. In thedepicted example, each heating element further includes six holes toaccommodate fasteners for fastening the heating element to a cookingsurface. In other examples, any other arrangement of and/or type ofattachment points for fasteners may be used. Another example arrangementin which only a single attachment point is utilized to fasten eachheating element to the cooking surface is described below with regard toFIG. 8.

Signals from each of the temperature sensors may be sent to atemperature controller to allow independent control of each heatingelement based on the sensed temperatures. For example, the controllermay be configured to automatically provide more or less power to one ormore heating elements underneath a heating zone to maintain thetemperature of that heating zone at a set temperature.

Each isolation bar 110, 112 may be secured to adjacent conductive platesin any suitable manner. FIGS. 4 and 5 show one example in the form ofbolts, two of which are indicated at 402 and 404. In other examples,other suitable fasteners may be used. Referring to FIG. 5, each bolt isangled with respect to a plane of the cooking surface 102. Thisarrangement may help to provide for a suitably tight connection of eachisolation bar to adjacent conductive plates. In other examples, anyother suitable fasteners may be utilized to join each isolation bar toadjacent conductive plates.

Each isolation bar may have any suitable structure that helps lessenheat transfer between heating zones. In the depicted embodiment, eachisolation bar includes a cooling channel that takes the form of a recessin an underside of the isolation bar that extends at least partiallyalong a length of the isolation bar. In other examples, the coolingchannel may take the form of a bore formed at least partially through alength of the isolation bar, as opposed to a recess in an underside ofthe isolation bar. In the depicted example, each cooling channelaccommodates a cooling fluid conduit, such as a tube 406 and 408 foreach of isolation bars 110 and 112, respectively. FIG. 5 shows a closer,detailed cutaway view of the isolation bar 110 including cooling channel500 in which conduit 406 is positioned. Though shown herein as aU-shaped channel, a cooling channel may take any other suitable shapeand may be formed along any suitable length of each isolation bar.Further, in other examples, the cooling channel may facilitate aircooling by increasing a surface area of the cooling channel in contactwith ambient air or a flow of air from a fan or other blower, as opposedto accommodating a cooling fluid conduit. In other examples, coolingchannels may be formed along the top sides or lateral sides of theisolation bars, rather than in the undersides or as a borehole throughan interior region. In yet other examples, one or more isolation barsmay not include cooling channels, and may instead rely on differentthermal conductivities of each heating zone plate to provide suitablethermal isolation.

Where a cooling fluid is used as a part of a cooling system for theisolation bars of a cooling surface, the cooling system further mayinclude a pump configured to move a cooling fluid through the coolingfluid conduit in each isolation bar. FIG. 6 schematically shows anexample pump 600 that moves a cooling fluid through the conduit 602 ofan isolation bar 604. Any suitable cooling fluid may be pumped throughthe isolation bars, including but not limited to water and glycol-basedcoolants, a compressed refrigerant, or air. An air-cooled radiator 606may help to cool the coolant after the coolant travels through theisolation bar 604. In other examples, any other suitable coolingtechniques may be utilized.

In some examples, the cooking surface may be suspended above asupporting base structure, e.g. a body 712 or other structure, where aportion of the cooking surface perimeter extends beyond the basestructure. Further, the perimeter of the cooking surface extendingbeyond this base structure may include elements that help to prevent oiland other liquids from dripping down an edge of the cooking surface andmigrating to an underside of the cooking surface. FIG. 7 shows a sideview of an example configuration of an edge 700 of the cooking surface102, illustrating the top surface at 702, the underside 704, and anoutside edge 706. The outside edge 706 may be straight or may be angledto any suitable degree, either outward as shown, or inward in otherexamples. The edge 700 also includes a drip edge 708 that extendsbetween the bottom of the outside edge 706 and a drip channel 710. Thedrip channel 710 may be formed in the underside 704 in an angled shape,as shown, or in any other suitable shape (e.g. circular), nearby theoutside edge 706. Such a drip channel may be formed along each outsideedge of the cooking surface 102. Oils and liquids from the top surface702 that fall down the outside edge 706 may follow the drip edge 708 tothe drip channel 710. The drip channel 710 may cause such oils andliquids to pool and fall down vertically from the channel, and thus helpto prevent further movement of oils and liquids along the underside 704toward a body of the grill, represented by dashed line 712, which may bedamaging to electrical heating elements and other components that may beattached to the underside 704 of the cooking surface 102, or electricalcomponents 714 on or within the body 712.

In additional examples, the grill may include a control panel 716 toallow control of various functions of the grill, such as the control ofthe temperature of the cooking surface, either as a whole or separatelyfor each heating zone. User input may control the power supplied by asolid state relay for each heating element of a heating zone. Thecontrol panel 716 may further be configured to provide visual feedback,for example, to show a current temperature of each heating zone, asmeasured by the installed thermocouples. As an example, dynamic offsetsmay be utilized between each heating zone to calculate the actualsurface temperature from the temperature as measured by thethermocouples, as the thermocouple measurements of the underside of thecooking surface may differ from actual surface temperatures. The controlpanel 716 may utilize any suitable user input devices, including but notlimited to buttons, knobs, and one or more touch sensitive displays.Likewise, the control panel 716 may include any suitable displaydevices, including but not limited to light-emitting diodes, liquidcrystal displays, and organic light emitting devices.

FIG. 8 shows an example heater compression plate assembly 800 having acassette 802 for securing a heating element 804 and an insulatingrefractory brick 806 against the underside of the cooking surface 102.In this example, the heating element 804 may be attached to the cookingsurface 102 at a single location. Such a compression method may allowfor the more convenient attachment of the heating element 804 to theunderside of the cooking surface 102 than other methods (e.g. welding)and may help to increase the watt density and efficiency of the heatingelement 804. The cassette 802 may be reinforced with longitudinalsupport structures 808 extending from a middle portion of the cassette802 to the outer corners. Other distributed compression supportstructures also may be used, such as a suitably shaped washer 810. Thecassette 802 may be secured and compressed to an underside of thecooking surface 102 by a threaded collar 812, washer 814, and nut 816,or by any other suitable attachment mechanism. A thermocouple may beinserted through the threaded collar 812, and into the underside of thecooking surface 102 to sense a temperature of the cooking surface 102 atthat location, as mentioned above. It will be understood that theconfigurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary innature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to beconsidered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations arepossible. The specific routines or methods described herein mayrepresent one or more of any number of processing strategies. As such,various acts illustrated and/or described may be performed in thesequence illustrated and/or described, in other sequences, in parallel,or omitted. Likewise, the order of the above-described processes may bechanged.

The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel andnonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes,systems and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/orproperties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.

1. A grill, comprising: a continuous cooking surface comprising aplurality of individually controllable heating zones separated by one ormore isolation zones, each heating zone comprising a heating zone platewith one or more heating elements disposed beneath the heating zoneplate, and each isolation zone comprising an isolation bar joined toadjacent heating zone plates, each isolation bar comprising a coolingchannel extending at least partially along a length of the isolationbar.
 2. The grill of claim 1, further comprising a cooling systemconfigured to move a cooling fluid through the cooling channel.
 3. Thegrill of claim 2, wherein the cooling fluid comprises water.
 4. Thegrill of claim 2, wherein the cooling fluid comprises a glycol-basedcoolant.
 5. The grill of claim 2, wherein the cooling system comprises apump configured to pump the cooling fluid through the cooling channel ofeach isolation zone.
 6. The grill of claim 1, wherein the coolingchannel of each isolation zone is configured to facilitate air cooling.7. The grill of claim 1 wherein each isolation zone comprises a coolingfluid conduit positioned within the cooling channel.
 8. The grill ofclaim 1, further comprising a pump configured to pump a cooling fluidthrough the cooling channel of one or more isolation zones.
 9. The grillof claim 1, wherein the isolation bar of each isolation zone is formedfrom a different material than adjacent heating zone plates.
 10. Thegrill of claim 1, wherein each isolation bar is joined to adjacentheating zone plates via one or more fasteners.
 11. The grill of claim10, wherein each fastener is angled with respect to a plane of thecontinuous cooking surface.
 12. The grill of claim 1, wherein one ormore heating elements of a first heating zone are independentlycontrollable relative to one or more heating elements of a secondheating zone.
 13. The grill of claim 1, further comprising a dripchannel formed in an underside of the continuous cooking surface, thedrip channel configured to prevent liquid from reaching electricalcomponents of the grill.
 14. The grill of claim 1, further comprising aheating compression plate configured to compress each heating element toan underside of the continuous cooking surface via a threaded fastener,wherein the threaded fastener is configured to accommodate a temperaturesensor.
 15. A grill, comprising: a continuous cooking surface comprisinga plurality of individually controllable heating zones separated by oneor more isolation zones, each heating zone comprising a heating zoneplate with one or more heating elements disposed beneath the heatingzone plate, and each isolation zone comprising an isolation bar joinedto adjacent heating zone plates, each isolation bar comprising a coolingchannel; and a cooling system configured to move a cooling fluid througheach cooling channel.
 16. The grill of claim 15, wherein each isolationzone is formed from a different material as adjacent heating zoneplates.
 17. The grill of claim 15, wherein each isolation zone furthercomprises a cooling fluid conduit positioned within the cooling channel.18. The grill of claim 15, wherein the cooling system comprises a pumpconfigured to pump the cooling fluid through each cooling channel.
 19. Agrill, comprising: a continuous cooking surface supported by a body, thecontinuous cooking surface comprising a top side, an underside, and anedge; one or more electrical components disposed beneath the continuouscooking surface; and a drip channel formed in the underside of thecontinuous cooking surface, the drip channel comprising a recess in theunderside of the continuous cooking surface spaced from the edge andconfigured to impede flow of cooking fluids from the edge of thecontinuous cooking surface to prevent liquid from reaching the one ormore electrical components of the grill.
 20. The grill of claim 19,wherein the drip channel comprises an angled recess in the underside.